Fonterra Backs New Water Accord

Fonterra Backs New Water Accord

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is right behind the dairy industry’s new Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord (SDWA) and has the programmes in place to ensure its goals are achieved.

Fonterra’s Co-operative Affairs Managing Director Todd Muller said today that the Accord was a necessary step up for the New Zealand dairy industry as a whole.

“Consumers and customers around the world are demanding more from their food suppliers in terms of environmental performance and origin of products. To be successful and protect New Zealand’s reputation as the origin for the world’s best quality milk, dairy companies need to connect and respond to this changing picture. The launch of the SDWA is a great example of how this can be achieved through a pan-industry agreement.”

Mr Muller said Fonterra’s Supply Fonterra programme, as well as the earlier Dairying and Clean Stream Accord which Fonterra established in 2003, meant Fonterra farmers would be well placed to meet the new Accord goals after investing millions of dollars over the past nine years on environmental improvements.

“It’s important to recognise huge progress is being made. Fonterra suppliers are working hard to have cows excluded from waterways by the December 2013 deadline set out in Supply Fonterra. This includes mapping waterways on Fonterra farms and agreeing work plans with farmers who are still working towards completing stock exclusion by December.

“We are also working with our farmers and providing the support they need to achieve other targets set out in Supply Fonterra and the Accord. To do this we have increased our Sustainable Dairying Advisory team from four to 17.”

Commenting further on the SDWA, Mr Muller said: “No one group can make this happen on its own, it is great to see farmers, their dairy companies, regional councils, DairyNZ, and others all coming together to improve New Zealand’s water quality.”

ENDS

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